Folate receptors, or folate binding proteins (FBPs), include single chain glycoproteins that bind and contribute to the update of folates and other compounds in vivo. Elwood, 1989, J. Biol. Chem. 264:14893-14901. Certain folate receptors are single-chain glycoproteins with a high affinity binding site for folate and other compounds such as methotrexate. Elwood, p. 14893. The human FOLR1 gene encodes the adult folate receptor, a 30 kDa polypeptide with about 257 amino acids with three potential N-linked glycosylation sites. Elwood, p. 14893; Lacey et al., 1989, J. Clin. Invest. 84:715-720. Homologous genes and polypeptides have been identified in dozens of species.
The mature folate receptor glycoprotein has a size of about 42 kDa and has been observed to participate in the internalization of folates and antifolates into cells. Elwood et al., 1997, Biochemistry 36:1467-1478. Expression has been observed in human cerebellum and kidney cells, along with human cancer cell lines. Elwood et al., 1997, p. 1467. In addition to internalization of folate, a folate receptor has been shown to be a significant cofactor for cellular entry of viruses, particularly Marburg and Ebola viruses. Chan et al., 2001, Cell 106:117-126. Due to these internalization properties, the folate receptor has been proposed as a target for diagnostic and therapeutic agents. For instance, diagnostic and therapeutic agents have been linked to folate for internalization into cells expressing the folate receptor. See, e.g., Leamon, 2008, Curr. Opin. Investig. Drugs 9:1277-1286; Paulos et al., 2004, Adv. Drug Del. Rev. 56:1205-1217.
Folate receptor alpha (FolRα or FOLR1) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linked cell-surface glycoprotein that has high affinity for folates. Except for low levels in kidney and lung, most normal tissues do not express FOLR1, but high levels of FOLR1 have been found in serous and endometrioid epithelial ovarian cancer, endometrial adenocarcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) of the adenocarcinoma subtype, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). FOLR1 expression is maintained in metastatic foci and recurrent carcinomas in ovarian cancer patients, and FOLR1 expression has been observed after chemotherapy in epithelial ovarian and endometrial cancers. These properties, together with the highly restricted expression of FOLR1 on normal tissues, make FOLR1 a highly promising target for cancer therapy. As such, the folate receptor provides a potential target for diagnostics and therapeutics for cancers and inflammatory conditions. New antibodies are needed for specific binding and targeting of these folate receptors.
There is a need for improved methods of modulating the immune regulation of folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) and the downstream signaling processes activated by folate receptor alpha (FOLR1). Moreover, given the specific expression of folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) in cancer- and carcinoma-transformed cells and lower expression in non-cancer tissue, there is a need for improved therapeutics that can specifically target cells and tissues that overexpress folate receptor alpha (FOLR1). Antibody conjugates to FOLR1 could be used to deliver therapeutic or diagnostic payload moieties to target cells expressing folate receptor alpha for the treatment or diagnosis of such diseases.